Known systems and methods for providing evacuation guidance to building occupants fail to provide personalized evacuation guidance to an individual when an undesired event, such as a fire, occurs. Instead, known systems and methods provide the same general evacuation guidance to all building occupants using a centralized and automated evacuation system. This can be inefficient and create panic as building occupants search for exit signs, fire extinguishers, call points, and the like. Indeed, exit signs that are part of known evacuation guidance systems may be inefficient during certain conditions, such as when smoke from a fire is dense and prevents occupants that are following these visual signs from seeing them.
Furthermore, known systems and methods for providing evacuation guidance lead building occupants to the same exit path regardless of crowds or lines, which can cause delays and ad-hoc evacuation. That is, known systems and methods are based on a static plan for all building occupants and lack efficiency in rerouting building occupants in real time when, for example, emergency situations develop in areas near or in a pre-defined exit path. Indeed, any rerouting can cause chaos because the change in route is for all building occupants and is not personalized for individuals.
Moreover, known systems and methods for providing evacuation guidance are not effective for physically challenged individuals who must rely on others for assistance in evacuation. Indeed, such physically challenged individuals may only realize a need for evacuation by looking to other individuals who have already started to evacuate. This can create panic.
When known systems and methods for providing evacuation guidance are employed, building occupants follow the evacuation path identified by the guidance system, even when a more efficient route from an individual's current location may be available. Indeed, an individual's current location is not identified to known systems and methods because known systems and methods provide only one way communication: from the guidance system to the individual. Accordingly, known systems and methods do not instruct an individual to the most familiar and/or safest exit route from his current location, even though such a route may be the optimal exit path.
In view of the above, there is a continuing, ongoing need for improved systems and methods for providing evacuation guidance.